Police ready for tensions at Villa v Albion FA Cup game

More than 6,000 Baggies fans will descend on Villa Park for the tea time FA Cup quarter final clash.

Extra trains have been laid on for supporters heading to Birmingham for the big match which will see both Midlands sides vying for a place at Wembley.

Chiefs say they are hopeful the second game of the derby double header will pass without any major incidents.

Several arrests were made before and after the league meeting between the sides on Tuesday, which Villa won 2-1 thanks to a dramatic late Christian Benteke penalty.

But double the amount of travelling supporters will be making the short trip to Villa Park for the cup game, which has been moved to a 5.30pm kick off for televised coverage.

Police forces have raised concerns about weekend evening kick-offs between local rivals in the past, saying that it gives supporters more time to drink before the game.

Chief Superintendent Chris Johnson, from West Midlands Police, said: "Saturday sees a similar police operation in place to that for the game on Tuesday which passed off with only a few arrests throughout the evening.

"We're looking forward to an exciting cup game between two local rivals and hope everyone attending enjoys the experience and behaves in the right way.

"As on Tuesday we will have officers in place to take action, if required, against anyone committing any criminal offences in the lead up to, during and after the game."

London Midland will be running three additional services from Witton station to Birmingham New Street after the game in attempt to manage the crowds leaving the ground.

An extra train will also run from Witton to Walsall.

British Transport Police officers will also be on duty at rail stations across the West Midlands ahead of the game.

Spokeswoman Emma Wiggins said: "Our officers will be on hand to make sure the day goes as smoothly as possible for fans during their journey to and from Saturday's FA Cup match between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion.

"We will have officers on duty across the West Midlands rail network, and we'll be working closely with colleagues from West Midlands Police to keep rail passengers as safe as possible.

"We are used to dealing with large numbers of travelling football fans and other passengers, and we will be ready and able to respond to incidents as they arise."

The dramatic fashion in which Villa sealed the points on Tuesday has stoked up the intensity ahead return encounter.

The match had looked to be heading towards a draw when Baggies keeper Ben Foster brought down Matthew Lowton in injury time to give away a penalty.

John Homer, chairman of the West Brom Official Supporters' Club, said he hoped both sets of supporters would enjoy the derby atmosphere.

"We don't want any ugly scenes, we want people to be sensible," he said.

"People can get carried away but whoever wins, they should ensure they celebrate in the right way."